Yes
by annied01
Summary: I would think about maybe changing my mind, giving him a chance, but then he was gone and it was too late and he was probably snogging someone else. / QLFC Season 3, Round 4. Oneshot.


_Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Round 4_

 _Team: Holyhead Harpies_

 _Position: Beater 1_

 _Task: Write about the emotion 'happiness' without using the words happy or happiness._

 _Prompts Used:_

 _(style) First Person POV_

 _(word) burst_

 _(word) overwhelmed_

 _Word Count: 1,347_

* * *

"Lily, will you go out with me?" is what I asked her every other day. How desperate; how pathetic.

" _Lily, will you go out with me?" is what he asked me every other day. How romantic; how sweet._

"Not in a million years, Potter," is what she replied. I could always count on that. She hated me.

" _Not in a million years, Potter," is what I replied. He could always count on that. He thought I hated him._

"Why ever not, dear Miss Evans?" is what I always said to that, flashing her a charming smile. The flower that bloomed in my stomach every time I saw her had started to shrivel up and die again.

 _He managed a smile that he probably thought was charming, but I could see I was hurting him. Good. He deserved to be the hurt one, for a change._

"Because, Potter, you are an insolent toe-rag with no respect for anyone else," is what she told me. At this, I would clench my jaw hard to hide my frown and I would walk away, beaten.

 _I felt a twinge of guilt every time I saw him try to hide his frown;_ _I would think about maybe changing my mind, giving him a chance, but then he was gone and it was too late and he was probably snogging someone else._

"She said no," is what I told my friends afterwards. They were sympathetic, even though they were sick of my whining.

" _I said no," is what I told my friends afterwards, and they rolled their eyes because they knew I was only doing it out of habit. They knew I wanted to say yes, even if I could barely admit it myself. But how could I break the tradition when we'd been caught up in a cycle of "no" for six whole years?_

"Try again on Saturday," they said. "She'll already be cheerful; it's the weekend."

" _He'll try again on Saturday," they said. "Say yes, make him cheerful; it's the weekend, he deserves it._

"I will ask her out again," I said, trying to sound determined. "And this time, she will say yes." My friends just laughed.

" _You know he's never going to stop until you say yes," my friends all said. I knew they were right, and for some reason this thought didn't upset me. Maybe it was time I admitted my feelings…_

" _This time, I will say yes," I said, trying to sound determined. My friends just laughed. "I will!" I insisted. "You were right about me all along. About us."_

 _They all shared knowing smiles. "How will you do it?" one of them asked._

" _Well, step one, he asks me out. Step two, I say yes, and—oh, look, that's it!" I laughed. "How hard can it be?"_

 _My friends protested. "No, it has to be special!"_

" _Six years of 'no', then you'll just say 'yes'? That's so boring!"_

" _At least make him sweat a little first."_

" _Where's the sarcastic Lily we all know and love?"_

 _They were right, as usual. I just needed a plan._

"I need a plan," I said.

"Plan?" Sirius asked. "Why bother? Even _you_ don't believe she'll say yes."

I sighed. "You're right. Still, you never know. Seven thousandth time's the charm, eh?"

Saturday arrived, and I walked up to her.

"Lily?"

" _James."_

"Oh, am I James instead of Potter today, then?" That had to be a good start, right?

 _He was off to a terrible start. Why was he incapable of turning off the arrogance for just one second? "Yes . . . yes, I think you are," I replied, and his face lit up._

"Lily, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next week?" I was already getting ready to leave. She would never say yes. Maybe it was time to give up, after all.

" _No, James, I will not go to Hogsmeade with you next week," I told him._

"As I thought," I mumbled dejectedly, turning to leave.

" _Wait!" I bit down hard on my lip. The plan wouldn't work if he just gave up like this! "Aren't you going to ask me why not?"_

"Is it because I'm an insolent toe-rag with no respect for anyone else?" I sighed.

" _No, James, this time it's not because of that," I made my voice sound coolly professional, even though my stomach leapt to think that he remembered what I always said._

I looked down at her, frowning. "Then why?"

 _I looked up at him, smiling. "Because next Saturday is a_ long _way away, James. I can't wait until then."_

"Oh," I said stupidly.

" _How about tonight, at seven?" I asked him, since he was clearly too surprised to take control._

"Yes, of course! I will pick you up at seven," I said, trying to sound in control again.

" _See you then, Potter—erm, James."_

"See you then, Lily."

* * *

I stood at the bottom of the girls' dormitories, trying not to let my voice give away how overwhelmed I felt, how I thought I might just burst with joy. She had said yes, she had said yes, she had said _yes_.

"Lily!" I called up to her. What if it was a joke, what if she wasn't coming—

"Hi, James." She smiled as she walked down the stairs, and I found myself smiling back at her. She always looked beautiful, but tonight it was like looking into the sun; surely I would be in eternal night from now on, because the sun could never possibly be as bright as she was here.

We went to dinner first, and I could have sworn I saw Dumbledore watching us. As I looked up at him, he winked cheerfully and gave me a discreet thumbs up-and from then on, I was unstoppable. We strolled through the castle, talking and laughing, and even after we were supposed to be in bed we kept wandering. I saw Filch hurrying towards us at one point but then Dumbledore came out of nowhere and ushered him away, giving me another wink. I put my arm around Lily and we turned to start back to the Gryffindor Tower.

 _When the teachers saw us together at dinner, I definitely noticed Professor McGonagall hand five galleons to Professor Slughorn. Had they really_ bet _on us going out?_

 _The_ _evening passed in a whirlwind of talking and laughter, and after the first few minutes all my nerves disappeared, because this was James Potter, this was the boy I'd always sworn I'd say no to forever, but here we were in the middle of an evening of_ yes _. He put his arm around me, and when we touched it gave off sparks of electricity and it was new and exciting and_ real.

We came to a stop outside the portrait hole, far enough away the Fat Lady couldn't eavesdrop, and I tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. She smiled up at me, and I could _see_ that she liked me, and I was so glad. After so long, after so much, we were here together, and she was smiling and _I_ was smiling and she was so beautiful. The moon was gleaming outside the window but nothing could ever be as beautiful as her face, and her eyes were sparkling as I leaned in and kissed her.

 _We stood near the portrait hole, and we were talking but I wasn't paying attention to the conversation because he was staring at me and he was so handsome with the moonlight shining on his face, and please kiss me, please kiss me, please kiss me . . . he leaned in and our lips met and fireworks exploded in my mind and I was so glad I had said yes._

And we kissed for what felt like years, what might have been hours but what was probably just minutes or seconds but I could have stayed there in her embrace for a lifetime because she was so warm, so loving, and I was so glad she had said yes.


End file.
